Octavio Paz – vertaling in Afrikaans
Octavio Paz – vertaal deur De Waal Venter
In Galeanastraat
(POR LA CALLE DE GALEANA)
vir Ramón Xirau
Octavio Paz
Hamerhoue bokant
verpoeierde stemme
van die hoogste punt van die namiddag
kom die bouers reguit af
Ons is tussen blou en goeienaand
hier begin die kaal erwe
‘n bleek poeletjie ontvlam skielik
die skadu van ‘n heuningvoëltjie het dit aan die brand gesteek
By die eerste huise
oksideer die somer
iemand het die deur toegemaak iemand
praat met sy skaduwee
Dit word donker daar is nou niemand in die straat nie
nie eers hierdie hond nie
skrikkerig om alleen hierdeur te loop
mens is te bang om jou oë toe te maak
Uit Spaans vertaal deur De Waal Venter
Ramon Xirau Subias (Spaans: [ra'mon ʃi'ɾau], Catalaans: [rə'moɲ ʃi'ɾaw]) (in Barcelona gebore op 20 Januarie 1924) is ‘n Meksikaanse digter, filosoof en literêre kritikus.
Professor Xirau is mostly known in the English speaking world as the co-author of The Nature of Man along with Erich Fromm.
Die kritikus Carlos Pereda skryf die volgende oor Ramon Xirau:
Die Meksikaanse filosoof en digter, Ramon Xirau, is ‘n brug tussen tale, tradisies en dissiplines, maar ook ‘n brug tussen ‘n veelvoud van teenoorgestelde belange.
Xirau het lank in “Galeanastraat” (Calle de San Angel, Meksiko Stad) gewoon. Die straat met sy geluide en klanke, vuurlig en skaduwees, is miskien vir Octavio Paz ‘n metafoor van “die straat van die lewe”.
Die skoenlapper
vlieg toe tussen die motors.
Marie-José sê vir my: dit moet Xhuang Tzu wees
op pad New York toe.
Maar die skoenlapper
het nie geweet dat hy ‘n skoenlapper was
wat gedroom het dat hy Chuang Tzu was nie
of Chuang Tzu
wat gedroom het dat hy ‘n skoenlapper was.
Die skoenlapper het nie getwyfel nie.
Hy vlieg toe weg.
(La Mariposa , Octavio Paz : uit Spaans vertaal deur De Waal Venter )
From Wikipedia
Octavio Paz Lozano (Spanish pronunciation: [ok'taβjo pas lo'sano]; March 31, 1914 – April 19, 1998) was a Mexican writer, poet, and diplomat, and the winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature.In 1963, he married Marie-José Tramini, a French woman who would be his wife for the rest of his life.
Zhuangzi or Chuang Tzŭ was an influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BCE during the Warring States Period, a period corresponding to the philosophical summit of Chinese thought – the Hundred Schools of Thought, and is credited with writing-in part or in whole-a work known by his name, the Zhuangzi. His name Zhuangzi (English “Master Zhuang”, with Zi being an honorific) is sometimes spelled Zhuang Tze, Zhuang Zhou, Chuang Tsu, Chuang Tzu, Chouang-Dsi, Chuang Tse, or Chuangtze.
Another well-known part of the book (titled Zhjuangzi), which is also found in Chapter 2, is usually called “Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly“.
“Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn’t know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn’t know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. Between Zhuangzi and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things”. (2, tr. Burton Watson 1968:49)
This hints at many questions in the philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, and epistemology. The name of the passage has become a common Chinese idiom, and has spread into Western languages as well. It appears, inter alia, as an illustration in Jorge Luis Borges’ famous essay “A New Refutation of Time”, and may have inspired H. P. Lovecraft’s 1918 short story “Polaris”. It also appears in Victor Pelevin’s 1996 philosophical novel Buddha’s Little Finger.
Tussen gaan en bly
(Entre irse y quedarse)
Die dag huiwer tussen gaan en bly
verlief op sy deursigtigheid.
Die sirkelvormige namiddag is nou ‘n baai
waarin die wêreld stilweg wieg.
Alles is sigbaar en alles ontwykend
alles is naby en alles onaanraakbaar.
Papiere, ‘n boek, ‘n glas, ‘n potlood
rus in die skadu van hulle name.
Die polsende tyd in my slape herhaal
dieselfde onversetlike sillabe van bloed.
Die lig verander die onverskillige muur
in ‘n spookagtige teater van weerkaatsings.
Ek ontdek myself in die middel van ‘n oog;
ek sien myself in daardie staring.
Die oomblik verdwyn. Bewegingloos,
ek kom en gaan: ek is ‘n pouse.
(Octavio Paz: Entre irse y quedarse
-vert. De Waal Venter)
Nota:
Octavio Paz het in 1990 die Nobelprys vir Literatuur ontvang.
‘n Kritikus het die volgende te sê oor Paz: ” His later work shows an ever-deepening intelligence and complexity as it investigates the intersection of philosophy, religion, art, politics, and the role of the individual. “Wouldn’t it be better to turn life into poetry rather than to make poetry from life,” Paz asks. “And cannot poetry have as its primary objective, rather than the creation of poems, the creation of poetic moments?” Poets.org
De Waal, mooi vertalings hierdie. Ek gaan binnekort Mexiko toe, en het dus weer Paz begin lees. Lekker om dit in Afrikaans ook te kan doen!
Hallo Desmond. Ek is baie bly jy kan plesier put uit die vertalings
Ek beny jou voorgenome besoek aan Mexico. Mag dit vir jou besonder inspirerend wees.
Nice vertaling, De Waal. Kranige digter en vertaler nou! Elza
Hallo Elza. Ek waardeer jou opmerking
Ja, ek is in ‘n baie produktiewe stadium van my kreatiewe lewe. Behalwe my eie werk (Afrikaans en Engels) spits ek my veral toe op vertalings van Paz en Tranströmer. Ek wil graag veral later miskien ‘n versameling vertalings van Tranströmer publiseer.